TPA to establish city block trains for transport of goods to DR Congo

By James Kandoya

Dr Harrison Mwakyembe, Minister for Transport

The Tanzania Port Authority (TPA) plans to establish city block train to facilitate fast carriage of goods from Dar es Salaam port directly to the Democratic Republic of Congo’s dry port of Lubumbashi.

 

The Minister for Transport Dr Harrison Mwakyembe said recently in Dar es Salaam that the project is expected to commence effectively April 2016.

He said the move has come as one way forward to facilitate the fast movement of cargo offloaded at the port and are on transit to the neighbouring countries.

 

According to the minister, the project will also serve Burundi and Rwanda via the Isaka dry port apart from the DRC.

 

Dr Mwakyembe was responding to questions posed to him after witnessing the offloading of 25 ballast hoper bogie (BHB) brand worth over 4.4bn/- that arrived at the port from India.

 

He further said that TPA has already ordered five locomotive engines that will be pulling cargo from the port to the places of destination.

 

“Out port is now a hot market since customers have trust in offloading their goods at the fecility. Therefore, in abide to easy transportation of their goods TPA has planned to invest city block train that will work nonstop from one destination to the other,” he said. 

 

Detailing, he said, the move will reduce delays, congestion and the numbers of days from the time goods arrive at the port and reach the customers.

 Mwakyembe pointed out that the city block train would do away with the queues of lorries entering the port to the city since it will also serve to the city dry ports at Tabata and Ubungo Maziwa.

 

“Since it will operate in block, therefore more customers would prefer to use contrary to the case now. Besides, it is expected to be the quickest and safe means of transport,” he explained. 

 

Cargo from Dar port to the rest of the said countries will be transported in bulky within few days compared to number of days when lorries are used.

For his part, Tanzania Railway Limited (TRL) director general Kipallo Kisamfu clarified that his firm focuses on renovating its tracks in order to facilitate fast moving of goods and services.

 

He said TRA at the weekend received 25 ballast hoper bogie (BHB) brands worth over 4.3bn/- to carry gravels during the renovation.

Kipallo noted that all the BHB wagons were procured by the government from India.

 

The arrival of the BHB wagons will facilitate the renovation of the track accompanied by a new tamping machine which arrived April this from Austria.

He further said this is the implementation of the Big Besults Now (BRN) initiativee whereby our country has already started to implement it in different arena.

 

 Kipallo further said under the programme, TRL plans to maximise the carriage capacity through renovating its central line railway tracks which look out of fashion.

 

According to Kipallo, TRA plans to transport 3.0 million tonnes of cargo by 2016 from 200,000 tonnes transported in 2012.

 

 “The government via its 2012/13/14 budgets has set funds for different projects being implemented by the company which are mainly focused on improving the working tools,” he clarified.

 

He listed projects planned as the remanufacturing of old engines, an exercise supervised by SMH Rail Company of Malaysia at the Morogoro railway workshop.

Detailing, he said, other projects are procurement of new engines from the US.

He added that his company has given more priority to the renovation of tracks as a way to allow movement of goods easily, timely and safely.

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN